The Future Of Fair Trade
What is the future of Fair Trade?
There's a variety of directions of where Fair Trade is headed and what the future of Fair Trade will look like. I think that Fair Trade is already growing in popularity, and I think that you can expect, in the future, to hear more about Fair Trade and to see more Fair Trade options. I'm always excited to see Fair Trade options becoming available in some unlikely places. Sometimes companies that haven't been known to talk about Fair Trade issues, find a great product that they want to sell in their store, and that's a Fair Trade product. I think you'll see some of that, products that are just appearing in the mainstream as Fair Trade products because they're just really great products that businesses want to sell. I also think that you'll see the growth of Fair Trade businesses that are telling the stories of artisans from around the world and selling their great handmade stuff. As businesses like that have become more and more popular, its evident that its something that people want, and I think in the future well see the growth of those kinds of organizations.
What are the main goals of the Fair Trade movement?
The long-term vision for the Fair Trade movement is that all artisans everywhere would be treated with dignity and that they would be paid fairly and have opportunities and access to markets to sell their goods. I think that, specific goals for the Fair Trade movement right now are focused on continuing to raise issues of education and awareness, so that we have informed consumers who know what options are out there. I think that's the immediate goal. It's important to educate consumers, raise awareness about fair trade, with that long-term vision of fair trade kind of being a given. Everyone would be treated in the marketplace as producers fairly, and be paid fairly for their work.
What is the difference between 'free trade' and 'Fair Trade'?
Fair Trade and free trade are often confused because they sound so similar, but they do have different end results. One of the results of free trade is that multinational corporations are able to move their production to countries with more relaxed labor standards, and often that kind of trade leads to exploitation. Fair Trade is not opposed to the ideal of free trade, which is that markets should be open; in fact Fair Trade relies on that openness. It works to make sure that the producers in those countries are being taken care of. Therefore free trade is in theory a good idea, but often the reality of free trade is that it does not necessarily lead to open trade, but to exploitative labor conditions, whereas Fair Trade takes more seriously those working conditions and wants to work to make sure that the people that we do trade with are treated fairly.
Is Fair Trade sustainable?
Sustainability is a key characteristic of fair trade. As Fair Trade moves out of being just a niche market, Fair Trade organizations are proving that they are competitive and that they have a great product that they can offer at a great price in addition to helping producers in developing countries. In the end, Fair Trade, because it is sustainable, will enjoy continued growth as it moves away from being understood as a charity or something that people should buy only to help people in other countries, but moving toward becoming something that is competitive in the marketplace and that people want to buy because it's the best product available. That is a sense in which Fair Trade offers a lot of hope for helping producers in these developing countries to move toward independence and self sustainability, since the products that they make are great and are competitive in the marketplace. Essentially, that is a sustainable solution for helping alleviate poverty.
How can Fair Trade affect the global 'coffee' market?
The global coffee market has been one of the areas that fair trade has grown the most. There is still a lot of room for growth in the fair trade coffee market, and there are also a lot of coffee growers that are eager to become a part of fair trade coffee co-ops. As people continue to make the decision between non-fair trade coffee and fair trade coffee, which is enabling coffee growers to receive some benefits that many other people within their community and other coffee growers who are unable to become members of the fair trade co-op, are not able to receieve. Ultimately, it would be great to see all of coffee moving to be fair trade coffee, so that even more coffee growers can receive the benefits.
How can Fair Trade affect global 'education'?
Artisans or farmers that are able to receive the benefits of Fair Trade and who are receiving a fair wage are more able to send their children to school to get education. Often in situations of extreme poverty, education is one of the first areas to suffer, and so one of the exciting things about the increased availability of education as a result of Fair Trade is that it is yet another thing that helps in the alleviation of poverty. By receiving that fair income as a result of fair trade, they are able to provide schooling and education for their children and in that sense provide a future and a hope for their children.
How can Fair Trade affect global health care?
Fair trade can have an effect on global health care by the social premium that is made available by fair trade. This enables producers not only to pay for the cost of production, but in working in these co-ops there is an added social premium that is included in the fair trade established price. And often, that premium is then able to be used for things like education, and also for healthcare. Establishing health clinics is one of the exciting improvements that fair trade co-ops are able to make for their communities. Often the healthcare doesn't just benefit the co-ops, but by setting up mobile clinics or by setting up healthcare facilities, they are able to provide for an entire community. Thus people not just from the co-op but from the community around them are able to benefit from those healthcare facilities that the added money that goes back to the producers is able to provide.
How can Fair Trade affect global gender equality?
Fair Trade has an effect on gender equailty around the world by providing opportunites for women who are often among the most disadvantaged producers. Fair trade assists in providing opportunities to those women to help themselves by using skills that they have, and ensuring that they are being compensated fairly. Among the disadvantaged producers that Fair Trade has helped and will continue to help, there are a lot of women who are already benefiting from Fair Trade and, hopefully, a lot more women in the future will be able to receive the benefits of Fair Trade as their products are sold in markets.
